Of Love and Faith
by Kuruk
Summary: Gray wasn't always bitter, in fact, he was quite the opposite five years ago, when he was a rich and popular high school senior. But he was never truly happy until he met her, the girl that changed his life forever with love, faith, and life's lessons.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon and any of its characters. I do however, own the plot and my various OCs.

Greetings! Kuruk here!

This is my new story; a Gray fic. It's in the 1st person (trying something new...) as Gray is writing about this. It takes place five years before FoMT and MFoMT ever starts, so keep that in mind... it has romace, comedy, and tradgedy...

Anyway, here's the short prologue.

Hope you like it... R&R!

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Prologue

She was always someone special; whether I noticed it or not…

Even now I can still remember her smiling face, her smile that made me so happy and chased my problems away.

I was in love once; a long time ago, it seems. At the time, I didn't know what the heck it was that I was feeling… okay, I did know, but I didn't want it to be true… at first.

But as the days went by I found myself loving the feeling I got when I looked at her, loved her as she told me about her day, I even loved her when she got mad and wouldn't talk to me for hours.

But that isn't the beginning of the story; it's the middle of it.

Here in Mineral Town, people can tell I have a history. No one really asks about it though; on occasion Cliff and Mary have asked me to elaborate, but I don't like telling it on a whim; my story… _our _story, deserves me to tell it properly.

And that's why I took Mary up on her offer to use her typewriter and I'm writing this now.

As I write this, I close my eyes, letting time tick in reverse. The years pass me by, and suddenly, I'm seventeen years old again.

I open my eyes and look at myself in the mirror…

A pair of dull, uncaring blue eyes stares back out at me; his head is covered with unruly dark carrot-colored hair, his build was good, even then. Not like a professional body builder, but definitely good, if you know what I meant.

I blink and I say my name, as if reminding myself who I am. "Gray," I say simply, opting not to say my last name.

This is a story of love and faith, of joy and sorrow, of life's little lessons. When I look back as I'm doing now, I can still feel what I felt, hear what I heard, remember every word I spoke… even though it was five years ago.

Sometimes I laugh; laugh when I see her face and remember our meetings, and cry, cry when I remember the sorrows that came with a joy.

If you read this, you might do the same; cry and laugh, I mean.

Just be prepared to take it.

Here begins my story. The story of a boy named Gray and the girl that changed his life forever.

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Short, I know...

R&R! Thanks!


	2. Sundays

Here's this long delayed update!

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Chapter One: Sundays

The buzzing of my alarm clock jolted me from my sleep. I blinked once or twice to adjust my vision, then settled into awareness.

Ah, awareness… so damn cruel.

It was Sunday morning at eight thirty in the morning… on a weekend! I'd always think of why the heck Sunday is church day. Yeah, I know about all that 'God rested on the seventh day' stuff, but why on a weekend?

Those days, I'd much rather be spending that time hanging out with my friends. It wasn't until later that I discovered what it was that I truly loved doing on Sunday morning, but that's later.

I growled and stalked over to my closet, dressing in my usual attire; a pair of faded jeans, a t-shirt and a short sleeved shirt I left unbuttoned.

This was how I dressed… well, for everything. Yeah, yeah, I know that people say that you should dress nicely when you go to church, but those days, I was… broken. I don't know how to describe it… or maybe it just isn't that relevant to the story just yet.

No matter the reason, I'll elaborate later.

Anyway, my parents were… special. While my mom was what you would typically think of a housewife of the new millennium my dad was… something else.

Problem was he was never around.

I won't lie; he was a handsome CEO of a successful company, meaning he brought in a lot of money into the house. He traveled a lot, and by that I mean that he was always having some sort of an affair with another woman.

Those days, there were a lot of scandals about how he had 'bastard children' out there when some woman popped out of the woodwork claiming her six year old girl was his. Since then, a whole bunch of freaks have been popping up, hoping to get a piece of his money.

Well, enough of my back-story, let's get on with the day. I promise I'll write a little more about my parents and their whole problems some time…

My parents are Protestant and proud of it; meaning we go to church every Sunday. Thing is, I never really cared about church. I wouldn't go as far to say that I didn't believe in God, just that I didn't really think that he cared.

It's complicated…

But I'll elaborate on this one.

The reverend gave sermons about how when someone was in peril, God would help him or her; that God especially loved the sick, and that he would never abandon anyone in need as long as they were open to them.

I've never been helped once in my life. Sure, you might think I lived the charming life of a rich kid living in a small town, but… you'd be wrong. For the first years of my life, I always felt… empty. I don't know how to explain it except to say that it felt like there was a hole in my heart that just wouldn't go away.

Over time, I learned to ignore it; drown its cry out with fun and games. Yeah, I had a lot of friends back then. You might say I was one on the 'in' crowd. I was invited to the most exclusive parties, had dated the hottest girls, was friends with almost everyone on the football team… Yep, a charmed life.

Anyway, back to the reverend.

His sermons were usually the type that 'instilled the fear and respect towards our Lord and Savior'. He usually threatened us about the dangers of sinning, of the perils of Hell and all that junk.

His name was Joshua Carter; a man in his late fifties that had devoted his heart and soul to the church. They'd said that Reverend Carter had built the church himself almost a hundred years ago; but of course, that was what we kids would laugh about while we talked outside the church while our parents talked amongst themselves.

Reverend Carter was a tall, frail looking man with feathery gray hair and piercing dark eyes. We used to say that they could look right into your soul and look at everything you did wrong. That particular rumor came about because the reverend was always the one to tell our parents what we did wrong. That, above everything else, earned our hatred.

In hindsight, as I look back at my childhood, I see that the Reverend just didn't understand us. He held us; the children, to his highest expectations, probably expecting us to be inducted into sainthood or something…

I think it's because he didn't have any kids… except one; but she was hardly what could be considered 'normal'.

More on her later, though…

My mom just tsked when she saw my choice of clothing but said nothing; already too tired to battle with me about the little things anymore. She herself was an attractive brunet of thirty-nine years; I got my eyes and nose from her, the rest I got from my father.

That week my dad was away on a trip again, so it was just the two of us. Without much conversation we went into the car and drove a couple of blocks to the church, which was already bustling with people.

We were late, but we still managed to get pretty good seats. We called them the 'heathens' row' because Reverend Carter always looked straight at those people when he delivered his sermon… meaning he had written it just for you.

Today's sermon was about infidelity and how it was not only a sin to do it, but a sin to allow someone you love to do it. All the while he was staring straight at my mother, who'd just nod and pretend that it wasn't meant for her.

"And let us all remember," Reverend Carter was saying in a stern voice, "That God loves us all. No things are beyond forgiveness; but one must tread carefully when walking the path of life. Sin will always come at you at tough times in the path; Satan's way of trying to seduce you to damnation," he cleared his throat, I rolled my eyes, "And now our choir will perform a small number…"

He returned to his seat as the choir stood up, all dressed in those robes that choir people usually dress in.

No one except old people went to the choir; those people that loved church and loved to sing. There was about twelve, eleven of them over fifty. There was Mrs. Parker, an old widow, Mr. Johansen, a choir teacher at the high school and last, but not least, Maggie Carter.

Notice something there?

That's right, Maggie is the reverend's daughter; his only daughter.

Maggie was my age; had long brown hair, hazel eyes and a bright, totally annoying smile. She carried her bible everywhere, smiling at everyone and always helping people. She usually passed her time by volunteering at an orphanage or building houses, volunteering at soup kitchens or helping raise funds for the school.

It wasn't that Maggie wasn't a good person; she was probably a better person than all of us combined, it was just that she was so… damn cheerful all the time. Always thanking you and smiling for no apparent reason, straight A student and a community activist too. If anyone could get into heaven, it was Maggie Carter; most of the time we thought she had a straight ticket there.

The choir began to sing; a hymn I'd heard since I was in diapers. They sang in unison for a while, but then Maggie; the lead singer in _everything_, got her solo.

It was a hymn written about how God loves everyone despite how much they sin. The whole time she was singing, her eyes swept the crowd and rested on me. Her face, lit up in joy, was turned towards me. I cocked my head slightly to one side, scowling at her.

When the hymn ended, she was still staring at me. She just smiled at me brightly despite my scowl and sat back down.

Weird…

The reverend preached for the next half hour; after that it was finally time to go home; thank God…

I dashed out of there faster than anyone you've seen dash before.

Once out there, I was met by my friends; a group of four…

The hulking, muscular and attractive guy's name was Tom. Star quarterback of the football team, really loved to party.. you get the picture. Clinging to him like glue was Beth; his girlfriend. She had short black hair and always seemed to be chewing gum; really, really loud… like some demented cow chewing on some grass.

The clown of the group; Luke, was already in action. He was bouncing around, spewing jokes like there was no tomorrow. Remarking on everything from the reverend's sermon to Michael Jackson. Then there was Meredith; pretty, orange hair, green eyes… she was stuck to _me _like flypaper… except we weren't really together. It was complicated; we'd had an off-on thing going for a while. We were currently 'off'; so I was a little annoyed at having her hanging off my arm.

We talked for a while, then kinda stopped abruptly when the reverend and Maggie passed by. "Children," the reverend said curtly in passing, bowing his head in greeting.

"Reverend…" we all said, feigning respect.

To our surprise, Maggie stopped in front of us and gave us one of her smiles.

She was out of her robes now and was dressed in her usual attire that my grandmother wouldn't be caught dead in; a green skirt that extended all the way down to her ankles, socks that covered the little skin her ankles showed, a floral blouse buttoned all the way up to her neck and a green sweater she'd worn everyday for as long as we could remember. Besides were clothes, she was holding her bible, her hair tied back in its usual ponytail, and giving us that smile.

"Good morning Lucas, Thomas, Beth, Meredith, Gray…" she turned her smile to each of us, "I hope you had a wonderful weekend."

We all got uncomfortable around 'Virgin Maggie'; as everyone called her. Tom, usually a troublemaker, was always reduced to an anxious puppy when he was around Maggie; it was like she was a freaking lie detector or something…

"Yeah," Beth said uncomfortably, "Did you go see the orphans?"

Maggie shook her head, still smiling warmly. "No, this weekend I visited the retirement home. It was a lot of fun."

"I'm sure…" Luke said.

Maggie smiled and nodded. "Yes, you couldn't imagine-,"

"Maggie," the reverend called, already far away.

Maggie smiled and nodded, turning her smile on us again. "I have to go now! I'll see you in school tomorrow!"

"Yeah…" I said, looking at the pebbles under my feet uncomfortably, hoping she'd just up and leave.

"It was a pleasure speaking with you; Thomas, Lucas, Meredith, Beth, Gray!" she called, hurrying after her father, waving to us.

When she was out of earshot, we all started laughing hysterically. "Damn, she sure has style," Luke said in between laughs, holding his sides.

We all laughed at people like Maggie Carter back then. In truth, I guess we were always jealous of her perfection. It wasn't until much later that I'd learn just how good a person Maggie Carter actually was.

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So, there you go. For those of you who asked me if this would be a tearjerker; it is. VERY SAD. Sorry, had to do it...

R&R!


	3. School Days

Frankly, I hadn't thought that I would be starting this fic again until I'd plowed past 'Where the Heart is' and 'the Foreigner'. But, hey, I just realized how unfair it is to you guys, fans of the fics that I put out and watch me put them on undefinite hiatus while I churn out a new story.

I've gotta thank Ekoaleko for this, as it was your PM that got me thinking... This chapter... heck, why not? This whole story is dedicated to you :). Well, you and all my fans that have waited patiently for me to resume my fics.

Check out my profile for my new update schedule, but know that on Friday I will begin updating 'Where the Heart is' again!!! Yeah, save your applause, please...

Anyway, hope you enjoy the return of 'Of Love and Faith'!

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Chapter Two: School Days 

If I thought Sundays were bad, Mondays topped them by a long shot.

There's nothing worse than waking up early on Monday morning when that damn alarm rings, knocking you into awareness…

And you don't want to wake up; but you have to, and eventually your mom comes in and says 'Up! Up! Up!' cheerfully; only making you feel a hundred times worse…

I'm no stranger to that… and I've gotta say that I hate it…

Anyway, let's skip the boring details about getting to school…

Being a senior means you can drive there so there's really nothing eventful that happens when you're driving to school alone. Not like the bus anyway…

My school's… okay. Its public; big shock there, huh? What's a rich boy doing going to a public school?

My friends go there, so I managed to persuade my parents to let me enter the public school system; which they weren't too happy about at first; I'll admit; but hey, I got to stay there with people I knew; not a whole bunch of rich snobs like the ones at the private schools.

I got to school late so I couldn't meet up with my friends; so instead I hurried off to my first period; the only one I knew so far…

That's right; I guess I forgot to mention that today was the first day of school, didn't I?

Yeah, today was the first day of school alright…

My first period was drama; oh joy…

Maybe you're asking why the heck I'm taking drama; of all things, I'll tell you. Seniors require a Fine Arts credit to graduate, so since I waited so long to _get_ this aforementioned credit, I get to sit with a bunch of overeager freshmen an learn the wonders of acting.

_Oh joy_.

When I get to class it's already jam-packed with students. As I expected, most of them are baby-faced kiddies fresh from middle school. While we seniors would usually be excited at finding freshmen to torture; but being stuck in class with those punks isn't that appealing…

At first I think I'm stuck with a class full of the little babies, but then I recognize a face…

It was Maggie Carter; the preacher's perfect little daughter, of course…

I guess I had always known that Maggie liked drama; she liked acting in plays. Since we were in Kindergarten, she's always volunteered to play a part in whatever play was available, no matter how small…

But what I think may be worse than dealing with a bunch of freshmen is dealing with a bunch of freshmen driven by the inspirational and encouraging words of Maggie Carter.

I sort of scowled at the sight of her and when she saw me she gave me one of her patented smiles.

Oh yeah, and the only seat available… right next to good old Virgin Maggie.

That just made this class a lot worse than I had anticipated… one thing was to be able to torture freshmen whenever I wanted, but having Maggie in the same class meant that she would stand up for them and, forgive the Kindergarten expression; 'tell on me'.

Awesome…

"Hello, Gray," she said as I tossed my bag next to me and slouched in my seat, "How are you feeling today?" she took in a deep breath, closed her eyes; it looked like she was getting high off the air, I remember thinking, "Isn't it such a wonderful day?"

I grunted in response, thinking that that was a great and obvious way to tell her that I had no desire to continue this conversation… which would be an awesome sign… for normal people, anyway…

"I never knew that you enjoyed drama, Gray," she said with a smile, "I'm glad to see that you've finally decided to contribute to this class. Now I'm sure that our productions will be better than ever!"

I cringed… Too much enthusiasm… too early…

Under any other circumstances I'd be horrified to see the teacher walk into the classroom; making the first day of school official. But when you're being badgered by the Virgin Maggie while freshmen chatter nervously all around you; you'd be glad for anything that will come along and save you from her.

Mrs. Paige, the middle-aged woman that had been teaching drama at this school longer than I had been alive, was a skinny twig-like woman with obviously and poorly dyed platinum blonde hair.

She had always prided herself with saying that before she came to teach at our school she had performed on Broadway; 'The Phantom of the Opera' or 'Mamma Mia' or something cheesy like that.

All the drama enthusiasts looked at her as if she were a god or something because she had done that, but everyone else just saw her the same way she acted: soft-spoken, flaky and horribly strict when it came to her precious plays.

So the lady walks in, winks at Maggie, who waves enthusiastically and takes her seat behind her desk. After she passes out schedules and brags about her performance on Broadway, she only the calls roll.

When she gets to my name, she looks at me in a bit of shock. "Well, am I surprised to see someone like you here, Gray," since when were we on a first name basis? "I'm very enthused to see that you have decided to take this class… on your last year here, no less."

The freshmen buzzed nervously at that… maybe the highlight of the class.

"Marvelous," Mrs. Paige said, clapping her hands together with great enthusiasm, killing me a little more inside… "Even though you will be dismissed to your next class in about to minutes, you get to see me tomorrow, bright and early!" I as looking forward to it, for sure, "And since time is money, we'll have to start preparing for our autumn presentation of Macbeth!" Maggie and the freshmen looked enthralled, I really wanted to get out of this room… go anywhere… and then bell rung, thank God… "Well," Mrs. Paige said as we grabbed our bags, "Enjoy your first day back and have a marvelous one!"

I was out of there before she finished, heading towards my second period when Maggie homed in on me. "Gray!" she called, "Gray, please wait!"

I acted like I didn't hear her and successfully lose myself in the crowd.

When I'm a safe distance away, I look back and still see Maggie looking around for me, a look of oblivious confusion on her face.

If anyone was naive enough to think that I really hadn't heard them when they were just a few feet away, it as Maggie. She frowned and turned around, her low skirt swishing around her ankles as she walked calmly towards her next class.

I wonder what she'd wanted? I hoped that it wasn't important enough for her to come after me during lunch and ask or tell me whatever it was in front of my friends.

Yeah, that was all I needed… Starting off the year by making my friends choke on their lunch while the Virgin Maggie asks me about drama or church or something stupid like that…

The bell rings, I curse and run towards my next class… I'm going to be late…

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Well, there you go! You know you wanna... review!!!

Also, remember: 'Eli's Anatomy' on Thursday, the return of 'Where the Heart is' on Friday!!! Check those out too!!!

See ya later, alligator!


	4. Wake Up Call

A day late, I know... but then again, I took Monday off... Veterans' Day, and all; a day off from school... too nice to get on... okay, I was busy doing things I really didn't want to do...

I have really great news! I have heard how other writers on this site say how they love to write a particular story... I think I'm getting there here... as you can probably tell from this REALLY long chapter...

Well, I hope you enjoy. Know that the real plot starts here!

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Chapter Three: Wake-Up Call

It's late Monday night. It's a school night; I'm not really supposed to be out this late. But then again, who cares if I'm out late? Certainly not my mother who's probably drowning herself in whiskey because my dad isn't home, certainly not my father who's probably shacked up with some cheap floozy that doubles as one of his interns.

That's just it; no one really cares what happens to me. In reality, the only people that really care are my friends. But even that isn't what one needs; what one thinks about when you thing of someone you can depend on.

I didn't know that then, but I know it now. Living in Mineral Town I've met so many amazing people… Mary, Cliff, Kai, Ann, Claire, Doug… maybe even grandpa. I know now that its people like that you can really depend on.

Back then, I was a stupid kid. So freaking angry, confused and rebellious. I didn't know which way was up or down, what it was that I really needed or even _wanted_ in life… I was crazy; so stupid…

That night; the eve of the second night of school… I finally got my wake-up call.

The guys and are were hanging out at an abandoned factory. Yes, we were drinking, blasting music… That was what we considered fun back then; rebelling together against anything that dared to try putting restrictions on us. Who were they to do that? People that gave birth to us then left us out on the curb don't deserve to be called 'parents'.

I was exaggerating. My mother cared; she was just hurting back then… maybe as much as I was, in her own way. I didn't get it then, not really. Now I do, but it's too late to do anything about it…

Back to the night of the wake-up call, though…

Like I was saying, the five of us were at this abandoned warehouse we frequented back then. Meredith had managed to get us some beer through her older brother who was fine with getting the beer for us as long as Meredith paid him.

Like I said, no one really cares.

So we were hanging out for about two hours when it occurred to Tom that it would be fun to race our cars. "There's no one driving this late," Tom had reassured us, "The cops don't drive around this place… C'mon don't be pussies."

Eventually, in my drunken state, I agreed, all laughs and giddy giggles.

I got into my car and revved it, the drove to a four-way stop. Tom lined up his car with mine, Meredith and Beth smiling at me nervously yet excitedly from the passenger seats.

Luke, ever the gentleman, had volunteered to start the race off by waving the checkered flag, which in this case was the paper bag Meredith had brought the beer in. I was riding alone; Tom had the girls… what else was new?

So Luke made a big show about making all his announcer commentary, giving my nerve extra time to fry over. My synapses weren't firing properly, but is that even an excuse for drinking and driving?

Finally, after Luke was satisfied with his announcements and Tom had screamed at him to get on with it, he held the makeshift flag up in a mock-cheerleader fashion that would make Beth proud and waved the paper bag.

I floored it.

The car lurched beneath me, the tires screeched as they began to spin… then, all at once, the car shot forward.

Tom was right next to me, and I could hear his screams of glee over the howl of the wind.

As for me, I had never felt something so great. Don't get me wrong, in the first eighteen years of my life I've gotten wasted and have sampled my share of drugs like everyone else has, but I'd never felt such a feeling like I had while speeding down that deserted street at midnight.

I had never felt more alive, more free. I felt like I could do anything, like nothing was in my way. I didn't care about my parents, or my problems… in those short seconds; my life was soaring ahead of me.

More and more adrenaline was dumping into my veins by the gallon full when Tom and I turned. He went right, I went left. You know, in our rush to get the race started, we didn't bother to set a finish line.

Better for me.

It meant I could stay like this longer; be in this heaven of non awareness for just a little while longer…

My heaven of non awareness would collapse in on itself in just a few seconds…

I don't know why I was in the wrong lane, I don't know how I got there. All I know is that a pair of the brightest headlights I had ever seen in my entire life shown from right in front of me.

They hadn't been there seconds earlier! How had they gotten so close!?

These questions shot into my brain, breaking the drunken haze that had lingered on my awareness. Suddenly, the euphoria was gone. My non awareness had evaporated completely.

My little heaven had turned into a hell in just a few seconds flat.

The shriek of the other car's horn pierced my ears. I jerked the steering wheel to either the right or left; which one I don't remember. All I do remember is the squeal of tires as my car swerved out of the way… but I wasn't fast enough…

The headlights blinded me milliseconds before the other car collided with mine. There was a great impact, another one that sent my head flying backward in a crimson mess, and one last one as I felt the car lurch…

Then, darkness…

* * *

Everything was fading in and out.

I remembered fading in, wondering why it was that I was lying on my back in the middle of the street. I thought I could hear the wail of sirens, but they seemed so far away… as did the crimson lights that lit up places that seemed miles away.

I couldn't feel anything… which was weird. Why couldn't I feel anything… it was... just so surreal, as if I wasn't really in my body…

It's hard to explain I guess… I wasn't looking down or looking at the great white tunnel or something… it was like… there was no pain… and that in itself made me think that I couldn't be in my body…

You always feel some type of pain; whether it be physical pain that makes you cry out in pain as a child or the emotional pain that wracks us throughout all our lives. Strangely, I felt neither.

Then, as the darkness was beginning to overtake me again, I saw a face poke into my vision…

It was a girl… I couldn't see anything else about her except that she was looking down at me worriedly. Why was she worried?

But then, I noticed something else… The girl; she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my entire life… It looked as if she were light; light trying to stave away the darkness.

I wanted to reach out to her, ask her what her name was… Anything.

But just as I opened my mouth to ask her, the darkness finally overtook me…

I faded out… faded out into beautiful non awareness…

* * *

Everything was fading in and out.

I faded in some place new. The first thing I noticed was that it hurt… everywhere…

It hurt to think, to move, to try and talk… It was like someone had shot me everywhere…

All I could tell about the room was that it was completely white…

The girl! Where was she!?

I wanted to ask for her, make her come to me again and make me feel perfect again.

But I couldn't, because for some reason it hurt to talk…

I faded out as darkness overtook me once again.

Everything was fading in and out.

I faded into the same white room from before. I was greeted this time by a girl who seemed to be hooking something into me. She smiled at me and asked me how I was feeling.

"Hurts," I managed, noticing now that I could talk… it hurt less too…

She nodded understandingly. "Yes, Gray, I know," she reassured me, "You were in a car accident. You broke your left leg, nose, some ribs and right arm. You were scratched up and bruised other places too, but that was all the bad things. You didn't have any internal bleeding, so besides the reparative surgery to insert plates into your broken limbs you didn't need any other types of surgery."

She looked at me as if I was one of the most amazing things in the world. Then she smiled at me. "You're a miracle, Gray."

Miracle? Me?

I faded out.

* * *

I faded in later. I think it was shorter this time, because when I opened my eyes there was still light coming in from the windows. I was greeted this time by someone else… it wasn't the girl or the nurse, it was Reverend Carter…

But he wasn't talking to me; his comments were directed towards another visitor. "-are you here, Maggie?" the reverend was saying, looking angry, "You know I told you not to visit him anymore. All you're doing is making yourself feel worse! It wasn't your fault-,"

"It was partly my fault, father," I heard Maggie say, sounding far away, "I shouldn't have been out… Maybe if I hadn't gone out that night then this never would've happened to… us…"

"Maggie…" the reverend said softly; a tone I had never heard him use before, "Because of what happened… it isn't God punishing you-,"

"I know, father," Maggie whispered softly, sounding small and weak all of a sudden, "I just-,"

I wanted to hear more; but then that damn darkness overtook me again…

I faded out again…

* * *

The next time I woke up, I woke up for good. The next few days were blurs; my mother visited a couple of times. She told me she's been there while I'd been asleep, as was my father, who had stayed at the hospital a couple of days before he had to leave on urgent business.

I wasn't convinced. Neither was she for that matter.

I learned a couple of days later that I'd be discharged soon. I was relieved of finally being able to get out of the hospital and back into the real world. The day before I was discharged Tom, Luke, Beth and Meredith.

They greeted my rather stiffly probably feeling guilty about the whole thing. The swelling and bruising had gone down, so I looked normal again. I had a gash across my forehead covered by a bandage and a few cuts that could've been inflicted by anything…

I was grateful they hadn't visited just after the accident; but then again, who knew if they did? I was out most of the time anyway…

They brought me some good old fast food and some news from school. Apparently in the three weeks that I had been gone a lot had happened; but I wasn't really listening. I don't know why I suddenly felt so distant from my friend; the people I had always thought I could depend on…

I didn't want to be around them; I wanted to be alone… Alone...

Then, as if damning me even further, one of the many people that I did not want to see walked into my room… accompanied by two others that I'd rather not see, either…

My mother walked in, accompanied by none other than Reverend Carter and his daughter… who was looking extra pale for a reason… Oh, right… Hospitals freaked her out, apparently…

The reverend shot my friends a venomous look and they scattered as if the room were on fire with muted goodbyes. When they had all left, the reverend approached me. "Your mother requested that I come and deliver the decision on how you will be… punished for your foolish actions…"

I repressed the urge to snort. As of they had power over me. I was seventeen years old; they didn't own me, my mom's words barely made impact anymore. Who did they think they were; telling me how I was going to be punished?

"The state isn't pressing charges," the reverend explained, "Your parents," by that he meant good old dad, "and the school managed to convince them not to… However, the school contacted me as to what would be a suitable punishment… and we decided on the best course of action…

"In addition to maintaining a B average, you will also participate in every production in your drama class performs in… In addition, you will contribute five hundred hours of community service under the supervision of Maggie," Maggie didn't acknowledge me, she seemed far away.

I felt like screaming at them. Making them shut the hell up and leave me alone; like always. But I didn't. For some reason, my lips felt like they were glued together…

The reverend met my eyes, looked into their arctic blue and told me something I'd never forget in my entire life. "This is your wake-up call, Gray," he said, "God was courteous enough to send you one… You'd best take it before your life ends up in a place you'd rather be free of."

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Ahh, there ya go!

Thanks for reading; remember that tomorrow is 'Elli's Anatomy' and Friday 'Of Love and Faith'. Check out 'the Foreigner' too, I updated yesterday. Well, next time brace for the beginnings of the romance that will leave you happy... and leave you sad.

See you tomorrow! R&R!


	5. Orphans and Old People

Hey guys! Sorry to say that I'm not THAT happy with this chapter... It may seem filler-ish but I assure you that it has a purpose so please read and enjoy!

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Chapter Four: Orphans and Old People

I returned to school a week later; after my arm was out of its cast and I could walk on crutches. I was sore everywhere and even though my still guilty friends helped me carry my book and what-not, it was still hard to get around…

It was hell, going back to school. I had so much make-up work to do… things to catch up on… not only that my parents; well, primarily my father, had forbade me from going out with the gang.

If you believe it, my father came home the first week that I was back home. And guess why? If you guessed to ridicule and make my time even worse then you would be very correct. In fact, the main point in his crusade was what I had said; to forbid me from going out with my friends.

He had come home from his business trip just for me. He actually made a point of telling me that, many times actually, as he chewed me out over what I'd done. I hadn't really gotten reprimanded for the accident before that; my mother was too shell-shocked by the event to ever speak about it and other people knew their place.

After we had a couple of our screaming matches, good old dad ran off on another business trip; this one to Hawaii, if you can imagine it. So, tell me, how many business meetings have you heard of that a CEO goes to with his secretary?

So, after two weeks I was well enough to start the community service that the powers that be had assigned me. Maggie and I; meaning my mother and Revered Carter, had agreed that Maggie and I would meet on Saturday morning to start on my community service hours.

And so it was that at six a.m. there was a knock at my door. I was already dressed, having been woken up at five thirty that morning by my mother. My mother had gone back to sleep, and so I was forced to get over to the door and open it.

A smiling Maggie met me there… looking really happy and energetic even though it was six in the morning. I scowled at her and she handed me a bag of food wrapped in foil. "Good morning, Gray," she said with a smile, "I hope you're hungry, I made you some breakfast."

I mumbled my thanks and followed Little Miss Sunshine to her car… which seemed… new…

Sure enough, when I struggled into the front seat, there was that intoxicating new car smell that everyone looks forward to in a new car…

I shrugged it off, opting not to question her on something that might lead to conversation. I was doing this because I was forced to, not because I wanted to get to know Maggie Carter. That was the last thing I wanted. Ever.

"You can go ahead and eat in the car, Gray," Maggie told me as she pulled out, "But all I ask is that you put on your seatbelt. Safety should be your top priority," she said all too cheerfully. Rhyming and cheer; one of the most dangerous cocktails to take in the mornings…

I rolled my eyes and complied. Maggie smiled and turned the radio on to a gospel station that broadcasted all the songs you expect to hear in church. Once a week is enough for me, so I turned the knob and put on one of my favorite heavy metal stations.

Beside me, Maggie cleared her throat and calmly turned the knob back. A second later my hand shot out and turned the knob again. She turned it again, then I did. "Okay, I give up," she said, "You win."

"Thank you," I said curtly.

The rest of the ride was one of silence where I picked at my food a bit and Maggie would occasionally rub her ears at the loud music I was blasting. It was a thirty minute drive to get into the city, and we had to cross a big bridge to get there.

"Don't you just love the salty smell of the ocean?" she asked me, taking in deep breaths through her nose then letting them out through her mouth.

"I've never really noticed," I grunted, covering my plate of unfinished breakfast in a bit of disgust.

"Well," Maggie said, opening the window a bit so that the sea air could enter the car, "Then one day I'll have to remember to have you notice, won't I Gray?"

I stayed silent, and Maggie smiled to herself as she pulled into the site of our community service for the day. It was the orphanage; the place Maggie was famous for supporting with all her heart.

I hobbled in, following a cheerful looking Maggie. She greeted the receptionist; an older woman who seemed ecstatic at seeing her. "Oh Maggie!" she exclaimed in a shaky voice, "The kids have been asking for you for a while now, you know," Maggie hugged the woman warmly, "Great to see you, Maggie."

"Ditto, Serena," Maggie said, turning to me, "Serena, this is Gray. He'll be coming into help me for a while from now on. Gray, this is Serena; a very good friend of mine."

I recognized the woman from the choir at the church. She greeted me amiably and I did my best to smile sweetly at her and return the gesture.

Maggie led me down a few hallways and finally, we came to a door. She opened it and walked over to a group of children sitting on the floor. I waited in the doorway, though, surprised by the conditions here…

I had never been to an orphanage before…

The kids; they were gathered around a measly little TV set the likes of which I had never seen. Their clothes seemed to be hand-me-downs, not the new clothes I was always used to wearing, seeing on the backs of most everyone I knew. There were toys scattered around the room; old toys, the type from five years prior.

I was shocked by the way these kid lived. I had come from a world of privilege and comfort; these kids lived in a world that seemed so… empty to me. I didn't get it; at least not yet… I didn't get that these kids were ten times wealthier than me despite all the things I had.

A little girl; skinny and frail-looking, looked back from the TV and saw Maggie. She exclaimed her name, and suddenly all the kids had turned around and were looking at her. "Maggie!" they cried out in happiness.

As one, they charged her and embraced her in the biggest group hug I had ever seen. Maggie took time to hug each and every one of them, calling them by name, offering the happenings of the days that had passed that she had not seen them and questioning them on how they were.

Standing in the doorway, I think I might have seen a little bit of who Maggie Carter really was. It was fleeting, small, and in reality it changed nothing between us… but seeing the true Maggie Carter; not the minister's daughter, or the choir singer, or the Virgin Maggie, it was just Maggie… I think that maybe that fleeting glimpse of her opened me up a bit… to the truth and to her…

The same little girl that had seen Maggie spotted me. A hushed chattering rippled through the group, and suddenly their eyes were all on me. A little boy, probably seven, tugged at Maggie' long skirt and whispered something to her. She chuckled, turned around, and beckoned me over.

"Everyone, this is Gray," she said loudly, that smile never leaving her face, "He's a friend of mine that is going to be coming with me here to play with you guys sometimes. Why don't you all say hi to Gray?"

A loud chorus of greetings directed at me reached my ears. I don't know why, but all those little kids greeting me with cheer… it didn't annoy me; hearing all that cheer so early in the morning… it made me feel… somehow warm inside? I really can't describe the feeling; but it was so much more gratifying than most of the things I'd done…

Maybe that day was the day that I begun to change… though it wasn't pronounced yet… though I wasn't showing it yet… that was the beginning of the biggest changes of my life…

We spent a couple of hours playing with the orphans. After that, Maggie reluctantly took her leave. She promised them that we would be back. For once I didn't roll my eyes or think to myself that I wouldn't want to come back. But I didn't want to come back either. I guess the experience had reduced me to apathy; not great distaste.

Weird.

Anyway, Maggie and I left the orphanage and headed for her second favorite place in the world; the retirement home.

Really, if spending time wit a bunch of orphans doesn't get you tired then listening to a whole bunch of old timers' ramblings on the 'old days' should get you into a state very close to a coma.

It was pretty much boring there, and nothing noteworthy happened that deserves mention in this… so I'll skip forward until Maggie and I had arrived at the front door.

It was pretty much seven o'clock when I got back home. Usually I would start complaining about how I'd wasted a whole day… but in reality I didn't. Like I said; apathy… which was something really weird for me; not having really strong feelings for something…

So, I'm struggling out of the car when Maggie smiles at me and says bye. "Oh, and I'll see you tomorrow Gray. After church we're going to rehearse the school play, so meet me outside after church."

No apathy there. I started complaining the second I got through the door. Oh, and all that apathy stuff… yeah, I didn't share with my mother. She thinks that it was the worst experience of my life.

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Meh. Review, please! I love them!

But... there was a little, little bit of Graggie (Maggie x Gray) if you squint really hard and look for it. Don't worry; fluff and Graggie is coming soon!


	6. Rehearsal

_The return of... 'Of Love and Faith'! Yay!_

_:) I know that this chapter is really short but it's back, and I just needed to get something out there to start me up again. So, I hope you enjoy this rather short yet hopefully good long overdue update of OLaF!_

_Enjoy!_

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Chapter Five: Rehearsal

Church, as usual, was both boring and utterly overdone on the reverend's part. This time we didn't sit in the Heathen's Row, so the reverend didn't come after me or my mother, who was the only one of my parents present, as usual…

For once, though, I wasn't wishing with all my heart that it was over. In fact, I prayed that he took his merry little time in his sermon… No, it wasn't because I had finally found Jesus or anything, it was because of what I would be forced to do after church that was really getting to me.

Rehearsal. At school. With Maggie and the freshmen.

Could you ask for a better Sunday morning?

But his sermon did end, and after that my mother forced me out to the meeting place that Maggie and I had agreed on. After struggling over through the crowd, I found her waiting patiently by her car, her face expressionless.

Maggie's face turned to mine and she smiled. I grimaced.

Our way of greeting.

I climbed into Maggie's car and she started it up. She put on the radio and I turned it to my favorite heavy metal station from before. Maggie just grimaced but she didn't protest.

Thank God that girl learns fast.

The ride to our school was short, which was both a mix of luckiness and unluckiness, I guess...

I had never been to school when I didn't _have_ to be there. So being at school on a Sunday sent butterflies loose in my stomach and a sort of biting feeling that made me feel as if I was somehow selling out, or something.

Ugh. I felt disgusted with myself.

Maggie, not surprisingly, felt totally at ease, judging by the way she got out from the car and walked towards the front doors. I just watched her from inside the car until she stopped and looked at me with a curious expression.

I sighed dramatically and got out of the car, trudging over to where she was waiting for me.

"Don't worry," she said kindly, "The first time I came here on a weekend I was pretty nervous too," I think my face was frozen in shock at her remark. She leaned in close to my ear, "But it's kind of exciting too."

Now that pretty much shocked my socks off...

Maggie giggled-- yes, she giggled, and walked towards the front doors.

All I could do was follow.

When we came to the front doors I stopped uselessly in front of them, honestly expecting the cops to pull up and arrest us for trespassing.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

I grunted before answering. "We just what... open the door?"

Maggie nodded patiently. "Yes, that's usually how you enter a building."

I gave her a withering look. "Well, yeah... I'm not retarded or anything. I mean, the school's closed. We can just walk in?"

"Yes," Maggie said simply with a surprised look on his face.

I gave her a cynical look. "Simple as that?"

"Yes," she said, "Mrs. Paige and the rest of the cast should already be inside. This was cleared with the principal, so you don't have to worry about getting into trouble."

I sighed and surrendered by opening the door for her. She smiled thankfully. "Thank you, Gray. That's very kind."

I just grimaced. My improved version of 'You're welcome'.

We walked the empty halls and I suppressed the urge to run out in disgust before I killed myself. I must look like such a freak coming into the school on a weekend... when I could be doing something, well, productive with my life...

We came to the big double doors of the auditorium, which Maggie opened and walked in. Loud and enthusiastic 'hellos' greeted her.

Oh yeah, great way to make someone feel welcome, thanks.

I walked in soon after, and I never felt like such a killjoy.

Because the second I walked in, everyone in that big room stopped their happy greetings and stared at me as if they wanted to poke my brains out with a straw, or something... after torturing me... with something particularly painful...

Lo and behold, the drama freaks.

Look, okay? Popular kids and drama freaks don't exactly get along. Probably because we think their shows are crap and they think we're uncivilized idiots that can't truly appreciate their work.

Usually the social ladder prevents the drama freaks from, say, torturing one of the most popular kids in school... but since said popular kid just walked into the auditorium, where said drama freaks are nesting... and said popular kid is alone... then, um, said popular kid may just be tortured.

Said popular kid is really concerned right now...

"Marvelous!" Mrs. Paige, oblivious to the tension in the room, judging by her happy attitude, exclaimed, "Maggie, Gray! I'm so pleased you could make it!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Paige," Maggie said as she walked towards the stage, where they were all seated, "I'm pleased to be here."

Before I knew it Maggie was seated in that circle and all eyes were on me, the majority angry, Mrs. Paige's happy and Maggie's concerned, per usual.

"Gray," Mrs. Paige called, "Would you like to join us on stage?"

Oh, hell no.

"Um, no thanks, I'm fine here..." I called back, taking a front row seat.

A couple of the drama freaks cracked smiles, other looked mildly disgusted, some apathetic.

I really didn't care... as long as they didn't try to kill me.

I was ready to stick out this rehearsal for as long as it took alone and bored out of my skull when something really unexpected happened.

Mrs. Paige was about to begin but Maggie rose, excused herself, and calmly made her way down from the stage, ignoring the muttering and gasps and other assorted expressions and then, to my surprise, took the seat right next to mine.

Everyone in the room, me included (except Mrs. Paige, of course) could only stare at Maggie in shock. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry for the interruption, Mrs. Paige," she said as if what she had just done hadn't caused so much surprise, "Please continue."

Mrs. Paige kept talking but I wasn't really paying attention. Instead, I was still staring at Maggie, who was staring at Mrs. Paige intently, no doubt listening to every word she spewed.

"Why the heck did you do that?" I hissed at her.

She just shushed me like a mother would, gestured towards Mrs. Paige, who was talking about the lead roles and the importance of attending rehearsala and learning your lines.

I wasn't going to take no for an answer...

So I poked her.

She seemed surprised that I had touched her, but she otherwise didn't react.

So I poked her again.

Her face looked a little annoyed.

So I poked her yet _again._

She looked at me, the annoyance showing in her eyes. "What?" she whispered.

"Why?" I repeated, giving her a poisonous look.

She sighed, waited for Mrs. Paige to pause then looked at me again. "Because it's hard not being accepted," she told me rather dryly, which surprised me, "I figured I could only make it easier by doing this since you didn't exactly sign up for this voluntarily."

"Is there something you'd like to input, Maggie, Gray?" Mrs. Paige asked from the stage, looking down at us with a smile.

I shook my head and Maggie gave a polite 'No, Mrs. Paige'.

She kept on talking and Maggie kept listening but all I could do was think about Maggie and those words she gave me... and how badly we had all left her out.

Man, for the first time in a long time, I _cared... _and I felt like a jerk.

And that, in case you've been in a permanent state of apathy similar to mine, sucks. Big time.

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_A/N: Yay. That was nice, finishing this update. I feel nice and accomplised :D_

_Hope you liked it. Could you please review? I love them :D_


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